Mini Movie Review – The Dark Knight

The ending of Batman Begins clearly set up a sequel, with Batman’s arch-nemesis The Joker being the villain. Fanboys were skeptical when Heath Ledger was cast as the Clown Prince of Crime. Early reports from the set created a buzz that Ledger’s performance was unlike any previous take on The Joker. Ledger’s sudden and untimely death only heightened the anticipation for the film. Early critical reviews of the movie were glowing, building an Oscar buzz for Ledger. With all of the hype surrounding the film, it seemed unlikely that The Dark Knight could possibly live up to expectations. Would Christoper Nolan’s latest effort set a new standard for both comic book movies or succumb to the standard sequel problem of bigger, louder, more?

The Dark Knight doesn’t just live up to all the hype — it destroys it. It’s not so much a comic book movie as it’s a top-notch crime drama that happens to involve comic book characters. Nolan’s script puts a premium on character development over explosions, and the result is a gripping story, and a greater sense of involvement when the action sequences do start.

With no disrespect to Christian Bale, as he delivers another performance that proves he is the best of the cinematic Batmen, this is Heath Ledger’s movie. From his first moments on screen he is completely captivating. Cesar Romero was someone’s crazy uncle. Jack Nicholson was an over-the-top cartoon character. Heath Ledger is evil incarnate. Where Jack played Jack playing The Joker, Ledger gets completely lost in the role, with no traces of himself left behind. His portrayal joins Hannibal Lector and Anton Chigurh in the pantheon of psychotic and terrifying movie villains. Both Anthony Hopkins and Javier Bardem won Oscars for their iconic villains. Will Ledger join them? It wouldn’t surprise me at all.

I think an appropriate way to look at The Dark Knight is to think of it as The Empire Strikes Back of Batman movies. It’s dark, both in lighting and tone. The good guys have a really tough go of it. And nobody’s happy at the end. It will be very difficult for the inevitable followup to match its intensity and grit, especially without Ledger. But as long as there are no Ewoks I’ll be amongst the first in line to see it.

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